Super Bowl LVIII utilizes more AR, AI, camera, and wireless tech than all prior games and maybe the total number of Swift songs

Super Bowl LVIII will utilize more leading-edge technology than all prior games to connect, entertain, and protect Chiefs and 49ers football fans.

Fans entering the stadium will see the largest outdoor LED display used in football thanks to Samsung. The 27,600 sq. ft. display is just one of the 2,553 displays found throughout the Allegiant Stadium that includes a 12,250 sq. ft. scoreboard and two 5,978 sq. ft. videoboards above the field.

The 4K HDR CBS broadcast is captured by 165 cameras including 24 robotic cameras, 23 AR cameras, and 3 drones. Sony HDC-4800 cameras are used to capture 4K HDR videos at up to 479.52 fps for superb slow-motion replays. In response to last year’s Butker field goal doink, 6 new cameras will be added to the uprights this year.

SpongeBob SquarePants and the Bikini Bottom cast will appear live during a Nickelodeon simulcast thanks to green screen technology utilizing AR cameras. Stunts and surprises are planned during this Slime-related version at the in-person experience booth as well as online in a Roblox collaboration. Also, a SpongeBob AR filter can turn everyone into underwater fans.

Individual team player videos were filmed on a virtual stage using a XR background created in Unreal Engine, a popular game engine used to create Bioshock and Fortnite and virtual environments. This allowed the producers to place players on a rooftop with a broad view of Vegas and as giants in the city without the players being present in Las Vegas.

Super Bowl 2024 will debut the Digital Athlete, a NFL AI/ML collaboration with Amazon Web Services to improve the health of football players while providing continuous 3D tracking of everyone on the field. 38 5K cameras capture footage at 60 fps for uploading to AWS Cloud where virtual players are recreated and analyzed by the AI. Coupled with ML training, the AI recognizes contact that can result in significant head and body injuries to proactively alert coaches to players at risk.

Snapchat technology will be integrated into the video screens, app, and shopping experiences. AR team theme lenses, NFL jersey lenses using Live Garment Transfer technology, and the Snap AR mirror will provide immersive team experiences. The NFL Super Bowl Lens is integrated with questions to let Snapchatters predict the game winner through head-tilt selection inputs.

To handle the huge data requirements for fans at the game, Verizon has installed over 200 5G mmWave radios throughout Allegiant Stadium in addition to upgrading the fiber optic lines in the city. During last year’s game, the 60% of attendees that were Verizon customers used almost 48 TB of data for posts and tweets.

Naturally, all this access comes with cybersecurity threats from attempts to steal fan information to disrupting the game. Most of the preparation is kept secret in order to maintain defenses, but over 100 agencies including the FBI, NORAD, and even the National Weather Service have collaborated months in advance for all potential threats. The game security will be monitored from the Las Vegas Fusion Center utilizing the latest in bomb and terrorism detection technologies while the 144th Fighter Wing provides F-15 Eagle fighter protection overhead.

Whether the number of technologies used to produce and protect the Super Bowl LVIII is greater than the number of Swift songs is up for debate, but one thing might be true - half the crowd will be watching the game and the other half will be watching their number one like a hawk. Readers who still haven’t started trading bracelets can start listening from her first definitive record.